Physics
hidePhysics (Greek: physis – φύσις meaning "nature") is a natural science; it is the study of matter and its motion through spacetime and all that derives from these, such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the world and universe behave.
Physics is one of the oldest academic disciplines, perhaps the oldest through its inclusion of astronomy. Over the last two millennia, physics had been considered synonymous with philosophy, chemistry, and certain branches of mathematics and biology, but during the Scientific Revolution in the 16th century, it emerged to become a unique modern science in its own right. However, in some subject areas such as in mathematical physics and quantum chemistry, the boundaries of physics remain difficult to distinguish.
Physics is both significant and influential, in part because advances in its understanding have often translated into new technologies, but also because new ideas in physics often resonate with the other sciences, mathematics and philosophy.
For example, advances in the understanding of electromagnetism led directly to the development of new products which have dramatically transformed modern-day society (e.g., television, computers, and domestic appliances); advances in thermodynamics led to the development of motorized transport; and advances in mechanics inspired the development of calculus.
For more information about Physics, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with physics
New Law of Physics Could Explain Quantum Mysteries
Aug 17, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (98) |
163
(PhysOrg.com) -- Since the early days of quantum mechanics, scientists have been trying to understand the many strange implications of the theory: superpositions, wave-particle duality, and the observer’s ...
Transparent aluminium is 'new state of matter'
Jul 27, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (97) |
49
(PhysOrg.com) -- Oxford scientists have created a transparent form of aluminium by bombarding the metal with the world’s most powerful soft X-ray laser. 'Transparent aluminium' previously only existed in science ...
Turning heat to electricity... efficiently
Nov 18, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (65) |
9
(PhysOrg.com) -- In everything from computer processor chips to car engines to electric powerplants, the need to get rid of excess heat creates a major source of inefficiency. But new research points the way ...
Scientists create first electronic quantum processor
Jun 28, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (58) |
46
A team led by Yale University researchers has created the first rudimentary solid-state quantum processor, taking another step toward the ultimate dream of building a quantum computer.
Stars Fueled by Dark Matter Could Hold Secrets to the Universe
Nov 03, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (58) |
44
(PhysOrg.com) -- The first stars in the universe may have been very different from the stars we see today, yet they may hold clues to understanding some of the mysterious features of the universe. These "dark ...
Is Everything Made of Mini Black Holes?
May 18, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (54) |
56
(PhysOrg.com) -- In trying to understand how gravity behaves on the quantum scale, physicists have developed a model that has an interesting implication: mini black holes could be everywhere, and all particles ...
Quantum Mysticism: Gone but Not Forgotten
Jun 08, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (52) |
43
Does mysticism have a place in quantum mechanics today, or is the idea that the mind plays a role in creating reality best left to philosophical meditations? Harvard historian Juan Miguel Marin argues the ...
What if there is only one universe?
Jun 04, 2009 |
3.8 / 5 (56) |
102
(PhysOrg.com) -- Lee Smolin, author of the bestselling science book The Trouble with Physics and a founding member and research physicist at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Canada, ...
It's Easier to Observe the Failure of Local Realism than Previously Thought
Mar 04, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (41) |
199
(PhysOrg.com) -- Local realism is something we live with every day, even if we don’t realize it. The principle of local realism combines two assumptions: locality and realism. Locality says that distant objects cannot directly ...
3 Questions: Steven Nahn on the elusive Higgs boson
Oct 19, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (40) |
10
(PhysOrg.com) -- Troubles at the Large Hadron Collider have led some physicists to suggest the Higgs boson is sabotaging its own discovery. Nahn explains why he disagrees.
Super-efficient Transistor Material Predicted
May 15, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (36) |
10
(PhysOrg.com) -- New work by condensed-matter theorists at the Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Science at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory points to a material that could one day be used to ...
Gallium nitride transistor could replace silicon
Dec 08, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (35) |
6
(PhysOrg.com) -- A Cornell researcher has created an extremely efficient transistor made from gallium nitride, which may soon replace silicon as king of semiconductors for power applications.
A new kind of counting: Scientists develop computer algorithm to solve previously unsolvable counting problems
Feb 11, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (33) |
12
(PhysOrg.com) -- How many different sudokus are there? How many different ways are there to color in the countries on a map? And how do atoms behave in a solid? Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for ...
A Theory of Dark Matter
Sep 08, 2009 |
3.6 / 5 (41) |
58
Among the most astounding, unexpected, and important achievements of the past century (or even more) have been the discoveries of dark matter and dark energy, collectively dubbed the "dark sector."
Quantum paradox directly observed -- a milestone in quantum mechanics
Mar 04, 2009 |
4.1 / 5 (35) |
13
In quantum mechanics, a vanguard of physics where science often merges into philosophy, much of our understanding is based on conjecture and probabilities, but a group of researchers in Japan has moved one ...
